Going Through the Motions
by daflippnay
Summary: A group of high school transfer students go through the motions of starting a new school and fitting in. AU. SakuGaa and HinaNaru, among others. PG-13 for now.
1. Something Unpredictable

**Going Through the Motions**

Taken place in Konoha University, a conjoined university and high school campus.

**Plotline:** A group of high school transfer students go through the motions of starting a new school and fitting in. AU. Saku/Gaa and Hina/Naru, among others.

**A/N: **I'd like to thank **randomsome1 **for beta-ing. Thank you, my dear! It truly is appreciated! Oh, and about **_Man Within the Monster_**; I kind of hit a road block, but you can count on me. I'll update, probably during Christmas break. But while you're waiting for it, read this! Enjoy.

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**Chapter One: _Something Unpredictable_**

The normal everyday routine had begun to be a chore. Perhaps that was why she was here. Perhaps that was why she had agreed to this. Seeing the same insufferable people everyday had begun to grate on her nerves. They always assumed that they knew her, always noted her for her predictability.

And so, in spite of them, she did something unpredictable.

She left.

They always thought her to be one who loathed change, one who clung to what she was familiar with in order to feel confident, in order to feel secure. They thought that by knowing her for a little more than two years that they could read her so easily; that they could discern what she would do next.

Sakura did have some help, of course. The newly renovated Konoha University was not only a university now, but also a high school. The university and the high school intersected in certain parts of the building, mainly a few hallways, and also a suspended bridge that served as a pedestrian arch that led from the high school mess hall into the university's gymnasium, and vice versa. The university campus was situated within four quadrants. Three buildings belonged to the university, while the newly erected building belonged to the high school, which was interconnected with the pedestrian arch into the university's recreational center.

Since Konoha University was renowned for its intelligent students, they of course wanted to maintain that reputation, even within the newly erected high school, which they proudly named the Konoha Academy. They had sent out letters all over the continent and even further, requesting that high schools as well as colleges and universities send their most brightest students to Konoha as transfer students for two consecutive terms. And of course, being one of the brightest students in Konoha High School, Sakura was invited. Seeing that it would look good on her transcript and give her a higher probability of getting into better colleges, Sakura could not decline.

Sakura looked up at the six-story building that was to be her high school for the next two years, clutching her binder tightly to her chest. It seemed to loom overhead, its shadow stretching over her condescendingly, the fact that it blocked out the sun from where Sakura stood made the building seem ominous.

An amused chuckle made Sakura tear her eyes away.

"You're looking at the building as if it's going to swallow you whole, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, as he clasped his hands behind head in his usual laidback manner.

The pink haired girl wrinkled her nose. In truth, she didn't know why Naruto had been enrolled. He wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, but all she knew was that their homeroom teacher Iruka-sensei favored him, and he thought that it would be best if he was placed within the academy amongst the other selected students.

The students that had been selected from Konoha High School to attend Konoha Academy were none other than Haruno Sakura herself, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Rock Lee, Yamanko Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Neji, and Hyuuga Hinata. Of course, Shikamaru had immediately objected to the invitation, finding the whole process of entering a new school and starting over to be quite troublesome.

Sakura broke into a smile when she saw Sasuke approaching, his steps slow and seemingly measured as he made his way up the cement stairs, his hands stuffed in his pockets, a look of indifference set in his features. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke merely grunted in reply. He glanced at the building in what could have been interest. His facial features remained impassive, aloof, as always.

"It's big, isn't it?" Sakura observed as she followed his gaze to the building. In her peripheral vision, she saw a red haired boy walking hastily towards the building, but she paid him no mind.

That is, until he shoved past her in his stride, nearly toppling her over and sending her binder flying.

"Watch it," they both growled at one another in unison with twin glares. Sakura's eyes widened he failed to apologize for knocking into her.

"Hey!" she yelled. She made a move to step forward, intent on following him. "Come back here and apologize to me, you ass—" Abruptly, a hand clutched her arm, and another covered her mouth.

"Hey, stop that," the blonde girl to her side hissed, carefully withdrawing her hand from Sakura's mouth.

Sakura glanced at her before looking back at Naruto and Sasuke, who were staring uncomprehendingly at the red haired boy's retreating back.

"Look, we're sorry," the heavyset boy clutching her arm muttered.

"Sorry?" Sakura demanded. "Why can't he apologize for himself?"

"It's a long and tiresome story," the girl muttered as they both pulled away. "Just… Don't try to confront him, okay?"

Sakura frowned as the pair walked past her, walking in the direction of the building.

"What was that about?" Naruto muttered, puzzled.

Sakura continued to stare in their direction. That was what she wanted to know.

--

Sakura drummed her fingers on her desk indolently, occasionally looking up at the clock before returning her gaze to the teacher, Hatake Kakashi-sensei, as he continually paced in front of his desk, blathering on about Konoha's history in the same droning manner he had adopted forty minutes ago. She sighed softly, her eyes idly scanning the room. It was finally last period. The day had seemed to drag, each forty-five minute period seeming like an eternity.

None of her former classmates had the same classes as she, with the exception of two separate lunch periods. On Tuesdays, she had fifth period lunch with Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, and Lee, and on Thursdays, she had fourth period lunch with Ino and Neji. Her schedule consisted of eight forty-five minute periods, excluding lunch, which was only a half hour.

She supposed that her schedule was pretty decent, except for the fact that the red haired boy that had inadvertently run into her that morning appeared to be in all of her classes. He seemed to be as calm and cool as Sasuke was, except Sasuke was probably more refined. She had considered confronting him about that, until she remembered what that blonde haired girl had said.

"_Just… Don't try to confront him, okay?"_

What she had said made her feel all the more curious, but not enough to try to speak to him. He had already proved his all-around indifference when their Literature teacher had called on him to introduce himself, and all attempted conversations initiated by fellow classmates were left hanging by what seemed to be his trademark expression of impassiveness.

By the end of the day, no one had attempted to confront him again. Gaara seemed satisfied with this.

Not if Sakura could help it.

As soon as the bell rang and the principal had gone on the intercom to dismiss the student body, Gaara made a retreat for the door.

Sakura nearly leapt from her seat, darting out the door and stepping in front of him. She always remembered how she had never been one to confront, but perhaps that was why she had missed out on so many good opportunities in her old high school. "You seem rather hasty," she said conversationally.

He looked at her blankly. "You're in my way," he deadpanned.

She sneered. "Why don't you just push past me like you did last time?"

Her mouth gaped open when he did just that.

Sakura gritted her teeth, turning around to glare at his back. "You're an asshole."

He turned around to look at her, though briefly. "You're annoying. Some things can't be helped." And with that, he turned around, continuing his retreat.

"Hm."

Sakura turned her head to the left to see the same blonde haired girl from that morning. "What?" she snapped.

"That's probably the most he's said all week," she chuckled. "I apologize for not introducing myself before. I'm Temari."

"Sakura," she replied. She looked at her curiously. "I don't think I've seen you around here before."

"Foreign exchange student," Temari replied with a shrug. "I'm from Suna."

"Oh, you're not too far off," Sakura commented as they began to walk down the quickly emptying hall. "If you want, I could show you around. Konoha isn't all that exciting, though. It's a relatively peaceful place." She glanced at her. "Where are you staying?"

"At a flat with my brothers. It's not that far off from the academy." she replied. "We were going to have a guardian from Konoha look after us, but they told us at the registration building that Kankuro – the guy who was with me this morning - is old enough to be our legal guardian."

"That probably saved you the awkwardness," Sakura remarked.

"Yeah," she chuckled.

"And who's your other brother?"

Temari smiled grimly. "The one you called an asshole just a moment ago."

The pink haired girl blanched, her eyes widening comically. "Oh, sorry," she mumbled sheepishly under her breath.

"Oh, no need to apologize," Temari snorted with a small wave of her hand. "He's always been like that."

Sakura wondered about him, but she knew that it wasn't her place to ask.

--

Naruto cringed as he slowly exited the classroom. The paper in his hand seemed to mock him with its red markings, pointing out all of his mistakes, a large, bold '42' superimposed on the right hand corner of the page. He gritted his teeth angrily, crumpling the paper into a ball before tossing it behind him.

Sasuke caught it before it could make impact with his forehead. He glared at the back of Naruto's bowed head before he shook the paper out of its balled shape, internally wincing at the grade the blonde had received.

"Hey, idiot," he said calmly, coolly.

Naruto wheeled around, his face reddened with anger. "What do you want, you bastard?" He blinked when the black haired boy showed him the test that he had just crumpled up a moment before. He tensed, preparing himself for the oncoming insults. When none came, a puzzled look set into his features.

"How much do you want to get by in this school, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, making sure he sounded as detached and cool as possible. He watched as the blonde's facial expression changed from angry to remorseful, his brow furrowing in frustration.

Naruto remembered Iruka-sensei, remembered him patiently explaining equations he had gotten wrong on a particular test, while he had listened on with halfhearted ears. Even though he acted like an idiot all the time, and all his efforts in his classes appeared to be minimal, Iruka-sensei always held some hope for him.

That was why he had enrolled the blonde into this academy, after all.

Naruto gently took the paper from Sasuke's grasp, looking bitterly at the red scrawls. "A lot," he said softly, running his hand feebly through his blonde locks.

Sasuke looked off in another direction as he began to speak. "This school is strict."

Naruto eyed the dark haired boy with a slow nod. The earlier actions of Morino Ibiki, their Algebra II teacher, emphasized Sasuke's statement. _That man is a sadist, giving us a test on our first day here,_ he thought with a grimace.

Sasuke chanced a quick glance in the blonde's direction. "When you finally decide to stop acting like such an idiot, ask me for help." And with that, he turned on his heel and left, without so much as a goodbye or a backward glance.

Naruto glanced from the crumpled paper to Sasuke's retreating back, a resolute expression set in his features.

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Please review.


	2. Overwhelmed

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

**A/N: **This is not an m/m or f/f story (aka, yaoi, yuri). Thanks again to **randomsome1 **for beta-ing.

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Chapter Two: **_Overwhelmed_**

Sasuke kicked off his shoes as he entered the foyer. He began to shrug off his book bag, stopping midway as he saw his older brother coming down the stairs with a laundry basket.

"What are you doing home?" he asked blankly, dropping the bag. It made a faint _thud _as it made contact with the floor.

Itachi grinned smugly, raising the laundry basket in response. He walked passed him and into the laundry room, which was a small area that was interconnected with the kitchen. "This is the last load. Then I'll get out of your hair, little brother," he said mockingly.

Sasuke internally winced.

A few moments later, Itachi reappeared from the laundry room to find his younger brother sitting at the kitchen table, staring ahead of him blankly.

"You know, it's about time you got a recommendation for something," the older Uchiha said conversationally. "When I was your age, I was getting invited to advanced placement programs all over, and even top colleges and universities wanted to interview me."

Sasuke clenched his teeth so hard his jaw hurt.

"It's good this offer came along, Sasuke, and even better that you accepted it," Itachi said disdainfully. "For a moment, I thought you were purposely slandering the Uchiha name." He glanced at him, regarding him coolly. "So, how _is_ the Academy? I'm assuming everything's been easy breezy for you, am I correct?"

Sasuke stared blankly ahead of him, and Itachi began to wonder if he had spaced out. "Yeah," he said suddenly, coolly, but the storm of emotions inside him said otherwise. In truth, Sasuke felt confident that he was going to do well in his classes, even if it was just the first day. He was, however, extremely overwhelmed by how much work he had been assigned over the span of one day.

Itachi grinned. "As expected from my little brother."

Sasuke stared at his older brother's retreating back. He had sounded so convincing that he had a hard time deciphering whether he had meant for it to sound contemptuous or pleased.

--

Sakura glanced blearily at her chemistry text book to the digital clock sitting on her dresser, its bright neon green numbers glaring at her. She could have sworn her eyes were playing tricks on her, considering it had been 15:23 when she had last glanced at the clock.

The black LCD screen read 18:35.

She wanted to cry. The words printed in her textbook barely registered as comprehensible, and just when she thought that she understood, the next problem took on a new approach and she was at a loss. What made her even more upset was that she still had a Literature paper to do.

_This is horrible,_ she thought as she bit her lip, _it's only Monday and I'm already overwhelmed with homework._

The shrill of the telephone cut through the silence of her room, and she winced at the sound. She gladly tore her eyes away from the accursed text book and reached for the phone, not knowing she would immediately regret it.

"Sakura," said an overly cheerful voice on the other line.

"Ino," Sakura muttered under her breath, halfheartedly returning her gaze to her chemistry textbook.

--

Ino bit her lower lip as she heard Sakura's weary voice on the other line, but she resumed her cheerful tone. "So Sakura, how was your day?"

"It was alright," came the absentminded reply.

The blonde haired girl sighed, knowing that the next question she was going to ask would annoy her. "Did you eat dinner yet, Sakura?"

"No,"she replied curtly. _"_I'm working," she said, as if it was the most legitimate reason in the world.

Ino sighed heavily, leaning back into her chair as she cradled the phone between her ear and her shoulder. "You always push yourself too hard," she complained, "and when you don't get the grade that you want, you punish yourself. I don't understand."

"I'll benefit from it in the end," Sakura argued weakly. "I gotta go. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Sakura?"

An impatient sigh came from the other end of the phone. "What, Ino?"

She bit her lower lip. "Please eat dinner."

--

Sakura bit her lower lip. "Later, Ino."

She hung up the phone, staring at it before reluctantly returning her gaze to the book in front of her. Her best friend was right, even though it hurt her pride to admit it.

Sakura stood from her desk and exited her room. Dinner was waiting.

--

To say that starting a new school intimidated her was indubitably an understatement.

Even though Hinata was with a few familiar faces, they hadn't exactly been close when they had attended Konoha High together. No one really knew her except for Neji, and she saw that as an opportunity to change. That was one of the main reasons why she had agreed to going to Konoha Academy, after all.

Hinata was frightened, to say the least.

She sighed softly, taking a seat beside Sakura, who sat to the right of Lee. She placed her tray down in front of her, staring into her pickled daikon1.

Surprisingly, the dark haired girl found a majority of her classes easy, with the exception of chemistry. She was a little overwhelmed by the work, but she found that being productive was actually very stimulating, even if it did leave her feeling exhausted by the end of the day. Even though she wasn't as assertive as everyone else, she had a strong determination, and she was passionate about hard work.

That is, if she was motivated enough. She often felt as though no one paid attention to her, that her attempts always went unnoticed.

"Hey, Hinata."

Hinata froze, almost hyperventilating as she realized who that voice belonged to. She swallowed hard as her throat constricted, a pang of nervousness threatening to overwhelm her. "Hi, Naruto," she rasped, her voice coming out strained.

He didn't seem to notice her anxiety, though. "Is this seat taken?" he asked cheerfully.

She quickly shook her head, the corners of her mouth lifting into a nervous smile. He took a seat beside her, placing his tray of food on the table. Hinata's smile grew when she realized what was on his lunch tray: a steaming bowl of instant ramen and a carton of white milk. Ramen hadn't been a part of the lunch menu, so she supposed that he had brought it with him.

"How do you like your classes, Naruto?" Hinata asked, her voice trembling. She quickly sat on her hands when she felt the urge to steeple her index fingers together.

He grimaced, but his lips quickly returned to its cheerful smile. "They're a bit difficult, but I like the challenge!"

Hinata smiled. Her motivation was returning.

Every time she looked at Naruto, hope filled her. He was often called a dead last by teachers and fellow students alike in Konoha High, but it seemed as though he disregarded them completely. She knew that he tried his best in his classes, masking his fear of inferiority with a confident smile. He was always so happy and high spirited, and Hinata was sometimes confused as to how he never seemed to have a care in the world.

Someone cleared their throat. Hinata, Naruto, and the rest of the table glanced up at a dark haired upperclassman standing in front of them with a clipboard.

"Hello," she said with a pleasant smile. "I'm Kin Tsuchi, the assistant manager of Konoha Academy's marching band. If you're interested in learning more about our marching band, please come up and sign your name. We aren't recruiting members until next year, but it will make it so much easier if we knew who was interested and who to ask."

Naruto gently elbowed Hinata, and she glanced at him. "Hey Hinata, I'll sign if you will," he said with a grin.

Hinata grinned back weakly, feeling her insides turn to mush as Naruto's smile widened. "S-Sure."

Tsuchi grinned triumphantly as all of the occupants of that table stood to sign their names.

--

Tsunade relished the wave of fear emanating from each and every one of her students, especially from the newcomers. She clasped her hands primly on her desk, grinning at them as they shifted apprehensively in their seats. Underneath her clasped hands was a bundle of test papers that she had just graded. A majority of said papers were adorned with red markings.

Red markings in Tsunade-sensei's class were never good.

Seeing that her students had done enough squirming for her amusement, she stood, taking the bundle of test papers with her. She idly walked around her desk, taking a seat on it as she faced her class.

She held up the bundle of papers, an amused smile tugging at her lips as many students recoiled in horror at the movement. "A majority of you failed," she said bluntly, going up and down the aisles and handing each student their respected papers. "After careful consideration, I have decided not to count this as a grade."

A collected sigh of relief echoed throughout the classroom.

"It's true that chemistry is a very difficult subject, so I can't really hold these grades against you. But since you are in my class, you are going to have to get used to my pace. This test paper allowed me to see what you guys are having trouble in, and I'll try to make things clear to you with the best of my ability." She stopped walking, handing Gaara his test paper. "However, it is not my responsibility to chase you. If you truly are concerned about passing my class, you should ask for help."

She glanced down at the red haired boy sitting to her right. "Gaara," she stated. She picked up his paper, holding it up. "This is the highest grade I've seen in a long time…" She began, grinning.

He glanced up at her, scowling.

"…and for that, I ask that you help your fellow classmates."

--

Sakura bit her lower lip, her eyes watering as she looked down at her test paper.

'38' was written in bold, red marker, and on the lower left corner of the paper was a note from Tsunade-sensei, advising her to see her concerning the grade she had received.

As soon as the bell rang, she hurried out of the classroom, tears blocking her line of vision. She took a seat on the floor beside the classroom door, watching through bleary eyes as her classmates passed her.

That's where Temari found her a moment later.

"Hey," Temari said gently.

Sakura glanced up at her, sniffling. "Hey, Temari." She folded up the test paper, shoving it in her pocket. "Can I borrow a tissue?"

Temari smiled widely as she took out a pack of tissue from her back pack, handing it to her. "Just as long as you don't give it back," she replied teasingly.

Sakura made a sound that was something between a sob and a chuckle. She blew her nose, handing the pack of tissue back to the upperclassman.

The blonde haired girl glanced in Gaara's direction as he exited the classroom. "Hey, Gaara."

He nodded wordlessly, his eyes shifting towards Sakura.

She averted her gaze in the other direction, crumpling the soggy tissue in her hand.

"You waste your tears for nothing," he deadpanned.

Sakura lowered her eyes. She knew that this was true, but if Tsunade-sensei had counted it as a grade, it wouldn't have been 'nothing.' In her peripheral vision, she saw Gaara turn away. She bit her lower lip, reaching back into her pocket and taking out the test paper. "Hey, wait," she said hoarsely, rising to her feet.

Gaara glanced at her, his green eyes inquiring.

"Can you… I-I need…" Sakura stammered, biting her lower lip. Her eyes shifted from her crumpled test paper and back to him. "Help me?"

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Please review. 

1 Pickled daikon – not entirely sure, but I think it's a pickled salad that consists of daikon and carrots.


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